Which CFL light bulbs cast the yellowest light?
Asked by
occ (
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October 18th, 2009
I know CFL light bulbs are better for the environment, and save you money on your electricity bills, but I hate the kind of light they cast – it always seems to be a weird color. I love the yellow light from regular light bulbs. What is the solution? Are there brands of CFLs that are better than others in terms of the color of the light? Any recommendations for specific kinds?
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11 Answers
Thanks! I’m looking for CFLs (compact flourescents) though, not LEDs…
Also, I’m wondering if the lampshade makes a difference – any thoughts about that?
I don’t know about other brands and I use the 5400K Philips but on the insert that comes with them they advertise that they have warm versions available. I have pretty much switched to the LED version in the studio, but used the CFL for the last couple of years – the thirty watt versions. They are equivalent to two hundred watt incandescent.
Oh, no, I was just saying that I have the same question about LEDs.
If you look on the back of the box you will usually see a sliding color bar with yellow (warm) on one end and blue (cool) on the other. The color of the bulb will be indicated on that bar graph.
I know that this doesn’t answer your question but I hate the light from them too. We mix them up. CFL on the porch, laundry room, closets, bathroom. We still use incandescent bulbs in the places where we spend a lot of time. It isn’t perfect but it is a little bit better.
The “warmest” CFL bulbs have a color temperature rating of 2700K, obtained by using rare-earth phosphors. Doing a Google search like this turns up many products.
@johnpowell Up until this week I would have agreed with you completely. We bought some this week because of a rebate that dropped of the price to a dollar for a box of 6.
I figured they would be good for the garage but to my surprise the ones we bought ( all the way into the yellow in the box graph) were actually pleasant. I put one in a living room light and will read under it tonight and let you all know what I think after.
@Dog, Thanks – what brand were they?
The ones we bought are called “Lights of America” (Yeah- I have never heard of them either and ironically they are made in China)
I did not get a chance to read under it yet which is my litmus test for lighting. If it even slightly flickers it will drive me crazy.
I should add that they do NOT work on a dimmer switch. This was a bit of a bummer for me.
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